


The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Retold

by ItsaMePatches



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Drama, Friendship, Gen, Homesickness, Minor Injuries, Plot Twists, Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22834036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsaMePatches/pseuds/ItsaMePatches
Summary: 3 years after starting their travel together, Link, Tetra, and her crew hear word of an apparent ghost ship wandering the seas and attacking local pirates and decide to go investigate; however, once entering the ominous vessel, Link and Tetra become separated in a flash! Now finding himself on an island without a clue about what to do, Link must find his way back to Tetra.What the young teen doesn't know that getting to the ghost ship to reunite with his friend will be a difficult one. Time is running out!
Kudos: 5





	The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Retold

**Author's Note:**

> Oof, I really don't know how this is going to turn out, but if you decide to stick around and read more, thank you! At the moment, I haven't a clue how many chapters this will have, but if I had to make a guess, probably ten.
> 
> I know rewriting a Legend of Zelda story (especially Phantom Hourglass) has been done countless times before, but as someone who likes the game, I wanted to give it a go anyway. Again, if you decide to keep reading after this chapter, thank you :'B
> 
> Tetra's new appearance is basically the beta design where she had a ponytail, just in case you were wondering.

**O** ur story begins not long ago...

There was a young girl savy to the seas and head of a band of pirates. Her name...was _Tetra_. She was pretty, brash, and brave. Tetra and her handsome pirates set out to explore the vast and unfamiliar seas.

One day, on a stop at an island, Tetra met a young boy dressed in green. After a series of strange events, the two began traveling together...

They stumbled upon old ruins, and light enveloped Tetra. At once, she transformed into a beautiful princess. The princess' lineage traced back to an ancient, ruined kingdom. She was _Princess Zelda_ of the Kingdom of Hyrule.

Just then, a huge, _ominous_ king appeared! In a flash, he carried Princess Zelda far, far away...

The evil king sought the sacred power passed down to Hyrulian princesses. He schemed to take the power and use it himself. The boy chased after him, determined to save the princess...to save his friend, Tetra.

The boy crossed seas with a talking sea vessel as his sole companion and climbed the highest of mountains. The journey was _perilous_ , to say the least. He slayed evil monsters and used their power to become a true hero.

After long and hard adventuring he, and with the help of Princess Zelda, defeated the evil king. His friend Zelda -- well, _Tetra_ \-- was rescued at last.

Later, the two set out with the brave pirate crew in search of new lands...

Yes, they set sail together! A happy pirate ending!

  
  


"So, what did you think of my amazing paper cutouts?" He shifted the image board. "Did you really guess that Tetra was really Princess Zelda?! Hey! Link! Are you sleeping, swabbie?"

In fact, the young boy in green pretty much was, and that sleepy groan he made in response from his spot on the floor to Niko was all the confirmation that was needed.

Suddenly, another voice spoke up, calling out, "Link!"

Link still laid on the floor, sleepy as ever. Boy, he regretted staying up late last night...

The voice called again, "Link!"

There was the sound of feet crossing the higher deck which grew louder in volume. Link still didn't bother moving from his comfortable position on the warm wooden deck.

The walking made a halt, but then the sound shifted into a brief run before a moment of silence--

**_BAM!_ **

Link shot back and onto his butt when Tetra was now standing in front of him, seconds after making a perfect landing just two feet from him. Both of her eyes (one mostly covered by her long fringe she grew out) were obviously on his form, giving him an unamused stare while her closed fists were touching her hips.

Niko, still startled by the sudden appearance of his captain, watched as Tetra said to Link, "Stop messing around down here!"

Tetra paused, rethinking what she had said.

"...or should I say, 'quit _sleeping_ around down here while you're supposed to be on _lookout_ '," her eyes had gone to the side but shot back to Link upon saying 'sleeping' in a different tone of voice, causing him to flinch.

Link darted his eyes off to the side, unable to restrain a sheepish smile while he scratched at his cheek with his left index finger.

All Tetra did was puff out a sigh. "You know, I find it amazing how you're a legendary hero." She shrugged, looking elsewhere while Link stole a quick glance at her. "Who would've believed that you saved me from an evil king three years ago?"

There was another pause from the captain.

"...and someone who's still such a shrimp!"

Link let out a muted gasp, slightly insulted by the jab at his height. It wasn't his fault that he was a late bloomer! Tetra's just tall now anyway!

(That's what Link thought.)

Then, a fourth voice spoke up from a higher part of the ship, "Princess Zelda!" It was Mako, fixing his glasses while standing at the end of the next floor. "We're nearly at that spot in the sea!"

A record inside of Tetra's office made a loud screech, followed by Senza mumbling in apology for the noise, "Sorry."

Tetra didn't pay attention, nor did she wonder what on earth a record was. What had her bothered was by that name: _Princess_ **_Zelda_**.

"Mako," she gave the man a warning with a deep frown, "I could've sworn I've told the _lot of you_ not to call me Zelda!"

"...to be fair, I called you Princess Zelda--"

"That includes _Princess_ Zelda! Anyway, stick with Tetra. It worked fine before, you know."

Link, meanwhile, relaxed by laying on his stomach on the deck once more. Here goes the banter again. Might as well listen.

He yawned.

"But..." Mako interjected slowly, almost cautiously.

Tetra repeated, "But...?"

He adjusted his glasses and took a breath of fresh air before admitting, "You're the princess of the whole kingdom! You might not like me confessing this, but I just _can't_ keep treating you like a regular ol' pirate!"

A brow furrowed while another went up while Tetra took that in. She shut her eyes and then opened them. "Well, Mako, you'd better _drop_ the formalities. Regardless of me being a princess," she jabbed a thumb at herself, "I'm also a tough, fearsome pirate! It's in my blood to venture out to new lands, to suck in the salty air, to go after a challenge that no regular folk would ever want to!" She whipped her hand back to her side. 

"I'm also the _only captain_ for you salty lot," she finished with a small smirk and a wink. " _But_ , enough about that." Tetra faced her body to face Mako better, her arms going behind her back. "You're saying we're within the premises of that ghost ship we heard about?"

"If what that bartender at the last island is speaking the truth," Mako replied, nodding, "then yes."

Tetra moved a hand to the right of her face and brushed the long fringe to the side for a moment. "Stay on the lookout for a creepy-looking ship, then." She allowed the hair to fall back in place. It was a much different experience than when she had the shorter hair that used to be pulled back and into a ball, that was for sure, but she didn't mind at all. Too bad she couldn't use her ponytail as a weapon.

All of a sudden, Niko spoke from the left of her, almost nervous as he clutched his story board to his short form, "Are you sure this is a good idea?" He leaned in a bit to her. "What about all those ships that have gone missing?" He got even closer, forcing the entire board against him as much as he could. "I say that ghost ship is behind all of it!"

Tetra's eyes went half-lidded as the captain puffed through her nostrils. "That's right Niko," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Every ship... _disappears._ " She crossed her arms. "And it's all because of that _scaaaaary_ ghost ship!"

Niko shivered. "G--ghosts...?!"

Link was asleep.

"Honestly," Tetra huffed. "Nudge gave me his blessing with this trip, so calm down. If he had felt like this would be a crazy idea, he would've said otherwise!"

From above, Gonzo called from his position at the steering wheel, "Hey, Tetra! About the seas, they're supposed to be protected by some sort of entity, yeah? Somethin' about a spirit called the Ocean King, I think." He questioned, "Wouldn't a spirit like that protect the ships?" The man thought for a second then said, "Unless there really is an evil ghost ship..."

Tetra took a step toward Gonzo's area. "Don't be ridiculous. There's no such thing as a ghost ship!" She clenched a fist. "Know what I think, Gonzo? I bet it's just some pirates up to no good." She took another step forward so Gonzo could hear her better. "I'll expose them as a bunch of frauds, _and remind them that there are rules to being pirates_!"

Link slowly sat up with a yawn and a stretch of his little arms over his head. What a nice nap that was. Wow, the air certainly felt cooler than when he started his brief snooze. With the gracefulness of a newborn foal, he rose to his feet with another yawn to accompany it. Link paused.

Something didn't feel right.

Tetra shrugged.

"I doubt there really is an Ocean King anyway."

Why was it night out? And where did this sudden fog come from? One by one, the members out on deck took notice of the pitch blackness, the thick, thick fog almost swallowing them and their ship whole. Link was most certainly awake now, and on his feet firmly beside Tetra.

Niko was shivering like a leaf, but even so, he mustered out a whispered, "Hey... _look_! The air feels chilly..." he bit his lip " _eerie_ , even." He turned his head towards Tetra more, telling, "I say we take a detour around this creepy place."

Tetra spun around to him. "Quit being so scared! We're here to see the world, not take detours!"

Now Link, he encountered a ghost ship a few years back, so if one existed, this wouldn't be the first time he would see one. This atmosphere felt oh so familiar to him. How the hairs on his arms stood underneath the long sleeves of his top by the chilly air. The blanket of fog surrounding the area around it. The darkness, the absolute total darkness was there. Those ghost ships weren't fans of the morning or light.

One more voice spoke up from high, high above in the crowsnest. It was Zuko. "Ship ahoy!" When she and the others looked up to him, he elaborated, "Tetra, I can see a ship up ahead!"

All of their heads shot forward.

On cue, through the thick fog, a lone ship crossed the waters and revealed itself to the pirate crew. Its prow: an old, worn skull with massive horns. Both sides of the ancient-looking ship dangled lit lanterns, which helped it guide through the fog, perhaps. Its sail was filed with holes, maybe decaying away with age or damage. Instead of colliding with Tetra's ship, the ominous vessel slithered to the right of their ship...and came to a slow halt.

Tetra and Link observed the ship from their positions, but Niko, he snapped out of it and stammered out loud, "I--it's the ghost ship! These waters really are cursed!"

Link frowned.

Tetra sighed out, "And you call yourself a pirate!" She gave him a look, assuring with a calmer tone, "It's just a ship."

She looked from Niko and then to the ship in question.

"...but it _does_ look like it could be the ghost ship."

Tetra perked up, pounding a closed fist into her open palm in thought.

"There might even be a load of treasure on board!"

From Tetra's office, Senza called, "Make sure you bring me some, Miss Tetra! Leg's broken 'n' all!"

And Tetra said the worst thing that Niko had feared his captain would say: " _Gladly_. I'm gonna get to the bottom of this!" She tugged her brown vest forward in preparation as she made her way to the ship's plank to make a leap to the ominous ship.

Link didn't feel good letting her go by herself, so the lad in green hurried after her without hesitation. He watched her make a perfect leap across and land on the ghost ship's deck, her ponytail briefly whipping from the movement. He backed up, ran forward, and made the leap across as well. He made a grunt upon landing on a knee instead of both feet, but he would be okay.

Tetra turned, surprised to see him. "Oh hey, you came with me?"

Link nodded, biting his lip.

"Don't tell me you're nervous about being here, are you?"

He shook his head.

"Good." She gave him a grin. "Pretty sure a 'spooky' little ship wouldn't get to you, considering everything else we've been through."

He gave her a small weak smile back.

Tetra began to walk forward on the deck whilst tugging the back of her blue head scarf, her eyes glancing from fog-covered space to fog-covered space. "Barrels, barrels, more barrels..." She looked to the right. "Barrels." She glanced to the left. "Barrels..."

She huffed.

"Unless there's something special in them, I'm not seeing anything great about a bunch of barrels."

Link catiously followed her, keeping his left hand close to the handle of his sword. He just didn't feel safe here, even with Tetra!

He bit his lip for a second.

"Tetra?"

Again she turned around to look at him. "Huh?"

"Something about this place is making me uneasy," the usually mute boy confessed to her, his hand itching to grab his sword. He lowered his voice for only her to hear, " _It's like we're being watched_."

Tetra blankly stared, but not because she was skeptical. The way Link's fingers were twitching, hovering ever so close to his sword's handle, the fact that his body seemed stiff, and how he spoke were giving her signs that he meant business. She inhaled through her nose then exhaled and gave him another grin. "Hey, be lucky you're not Niko saying this, or else I wouldn't be taking you _as_ seriously!"

He blinked. "Really?"

"Yep."

"Ouch."

"Anyway," she spoke, unsheathing her dagger from her belt, "don't worry. We'll just check around a little more, and if there's no sign of treasure, we'll leave." Tetra untucked a necklace from her white top. "You have your charm on you if we split up accidentally in this fog?"

Link whipped out the familiar shimmering blue jewel from the necklace he wore as well. "I have the extra one you gave me too," was his response.

The two young teenagers gathered themselves up from afar with the pirate girl saying a few more words to the boy in green. The boy nodded twice. They walked together, this time, going to the left.

They were turning their heads every which way, searching for anything that wasn't meaningless to them. They walked and walked about, the boy wanting to grab his sword still whilst the girl had already pulled out her dagger.

Silence.

_They were perfect_.

All that was to the left was the entrance of the ship, which, to Tetra and Link, meant that the more important goods were within the vessel. Due to the lack of a door, they simply poked their heads inside. More heavy fog, even inside the ship...

Tetra hummed out loud in thought. "I think I see a pathway in there."

When he heard a few faint creaks emitting from the floors, Link couldn't help but ask, "Is it safe...?"

She chewed the bottom of her lip. "Worth a shot to check. It would stink if the floors broke under our weight."

But before they could test the floor's stability, the duo were whipped away from behind and from each other all of a sudden with surprised cries tearing from them. Link crashed against the railing while Tetra slid across the floor on the opposite side with a grunt.

"What the--?!" Tetra shot to her feet. "Shoot," she said, looking down to her left hand, "what happened just now?!"

"Tetra?!" Link struggled himself off the railings in a state of panic, for he could hardly see the pirate captain through the growing fog except for her face and the upper portion of her torso. "I--I don't know! I don't see anything!"

"Link, look out! To the right of you!"

The boy in green spun but had to quickly retrieve his sword to block a speedy glowing ball of energy. The force was strong, so strong, that his body lurched backwards and hit the railing

...which broke upon impact with a loud snap.

He _knew_ he should've dodged or struck it back to where it came from.

"Link?! Shoot!" Link could hear Tetra hurrying over, but it was too late, when he didn't even have a chance to catch himself from falling overboard. Things were slowing down, his fall, the _realization_ that he was taking a long fall from the massive, haunted ship, and Tetra's form finally reaching the spot he was plumitting from. She had a panicked look on her face, but not as panicked as the one Link made when he noticed a dark shadow looming over the captain.

And the last thing that Link heard before hitting the frigid water was Tetra crying out, "Use your swimming legs and hang on, _Link_!!"

His name dragged out.

In a flash, he was surrounded by the darkness of the water immediately greeting him into an unwanted embrace. From his body's position, his front facing the surface, Link could make out the outline of the ghost ship and Tetra's,

but he couldn't see Tetra anymore.

Did she manage to fight off whatever that being above her was, or was she going to be thrown off guard like he unfortunately was?

' _Tetra..._ ' was all his mind could muster before, ever so slowly, he could feel his body grow cold and feeble. His arms and legs just _couldn't_ move to swim himself out so he could return to Tetra and let her know he was okay!

He gulped, his vision dimming by the second.

The young teenager lost consciousness as the last number of bubbles escaped his open mouth, and the waters continued to let his body flutter deeper and deeper down the ocean, void of life, of anything that made it seem like the ocean at all.

He was in the abyss.

Alone.

**_The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass_ **

The day continued on as normal, and what a beautiful day it was today! The sun shone brightly, but not to where it was too hot, but neither was it chilly that it would be during the winter and early spring on the island.

Basically, the average weather was nice.

She fluttered across the bridge happily, making a tiny tingle sound with each flutter of her wings. She passed the tiny abode which sat upon a plateau, but not without a brief glance, and then turned left towards the beach. Maybe she could make a nice little sandcastle and then--what the heck was that on the beach?

She didn't want to go over to whatever that was at first, because the lack of motion made her fear the worse, but...she couldn't just leave it there. What if they were okay?

She fluttered in place, hesitating once more.

She was going to go check on the child laying on the beach.

Her little wings took her straight to the boy. She fluttered around his body, checking out his form. He wore a dark green tunic with a matching light green long sleeve top underneath. The boy even had a matching hat! Looking at his freckled, tanned face closely, she could still see life in him, and his chest grew and shrunk with each breath he took through his nostrils.

"Hey," she spoke upon realization, squeaking. "He's alive!"

She began to flutter around his form more, this time with more speed.

"Hey! Wake up! Hello!"

Link's eyelids twitched twice as he groaned through his closed mouth. He shook his head and then sat up. He shook his head one more time whilst his eyes opened ever so slowly to better adjust to the new environment he was in.

The view he immediately got was the ocean and the sandy ground he sat upon. He let his hands plop to his sides and feel the warmth of the sand under his fingers and in between them upon clutching his fists. His eyes went right...and then left. The sandy environment didn't stretch out far and instead transitioned to a grassy setting.

' _It reminds me of home a little.._.' his mind commented.

"You're awake!" A ball of blue light was in his face, causing him to cry out in surprise and fall back. "I was worried about you for a minute there! Are you okay?"

Link simply stared up at, what he was aware it was, the fairy with his eyes still wide. "Wh--who are you?"

The fairy, if Link was even able of seeing their face, beamed. "I'm Ciela, and as you can see, I'm a fairy. Who are you?"

Link sat up again. "I'm...Link, and...I _think_ I'm okay," he replied, nodding. He looked around his surroundings for the second time, taking in the scenery better. "Where...am I, though?"

Ciela fluttered closer to him. "Mercay Island!"

"Mercay...Island?" With carefulness, he rose to his feet. Where was Mercay Island, though? He was unaware of such a place, for sure!

"Yep! By the way, Link," she questioned, "what in the world were you doing out here?"

Link fell quiet, and even more quiet as the sprockets in his brain turned faster, trying to remember what could've led him all the way out here and on an island he had never even heard of--

" _Tetra!_ "

  
  


"So you fell off the boat and got separated from your friend?"

Link nodded to the fairy while keeping one hand gripped atop his other arm's elbow, holding it. "Yeah, and I'm not sure if she's okay...and how far I've gotten from her." His head hung and a foot traced the sand around. "I'm not sure what to do, or how to find the Ghost Ship."

Ciela floated the air momentarily but then began fluttering in place again. "Did you just say 'ghost ship'?"

He nodded. "Yeah. That was the kind of ship we were checking out."

"I wonder if it could be the one that people have been seeing around here lately," Ciela pondered. "The one where apparently sailors and pirates have gone missing..."

Link was at full alert. "Do you know if there was a heavy fog around it?"

"Yeah, it did!"

"That could be the one Tetra's on!"

"If that's the case," Ciela said to the boy, shooting up into the air a bit, "we could go ask Grandpa and see what he has to say about this! He's really smart!" She was about to launch off and lead Link the way, but she paused. "Oh, do you think you can walk okay?"

He licked his dried lips and nodded. "I think I can."

"Don't worry, I won't fly fast. Just follow me to our house!"

"Okay..."

  
  


"And even though they were 'mere children', they were able to engage in combat with the fearsome beast of the water." He flipped the storyboard's page to display a new picture to the five children who sat on the floor in front of him. "The monster whipped and trashed about, managing to hit them a few times, but the children withstood the attacks. They've fought before," his voice whispered, " _and they would fight again_ . The world _depended_ on them."

He closed the storyboard.

"And we'll reach the thrilling conclusion tomorrow, children," he told them and gave a smile through his thick moustache, even though the kids groaned in disappointment. "I promise!"

One at the time, the kids responded in understanding. ("Okay", "aww fine...", "okay, gramps", and so forth.)

"Go on now," he said, gesturing them to the front door of his home, "I'm sure your parents are waiting for you all to come home for lunch."

He followed them out and watched them head down the brief set of steps, listening as they chatted amongst each other. His smile didn't fade. In fact, the smile widened when a familiar fairy fluttered up the stairs.

"Ciela, I was wondering where you were," he greeted the ball of light, but then he took notice of a boy in green joining them at the entrance of his house. "Well now, who's this?"

"I'm Link," Link responded with a small bow of his head.

The old man observed the teenager's appearance with a hum. "Link, you say?"

Ciela flew into the man's face. "Grandpa Oshus, Link and his friend were on the Ghost Ship!"

The old man, known as Oshus, felt his mouth gape open.

  
  


Ciela sat on old man Oshus' orange staff as the man spoke to Link inside his house. "The two of you were attacked while you were examining the ship," he paraphrased Link's story, "and you fell off right before you witnessed something about to attack your friend? And you woke up here?"

Link nodded only once, folding his hands in front of himself.

"And I'm guessing...you want to go after the ship to save your friend."

Nod.

He sighed, getting Ciela's attention. "Young man," he told Link, "although I understand the situation concerning you and her, it wouldn't be wise to go after the Ghost Ship."

Link froze up in his seat. "What?"

Ciela chimed in as well. "Grandpa, why?! His friend could be in danger!"

"I understand," Oshus repeated, "but it's _far too dangerous_ to go after it. You would have to be strong to even set foot in there..." his head drooped, continuing, "lest you'd like to be overcome by what's on there and have your very life stolen from you."

Ciela's wings drooped.

Link, meanwhile, was biting his lip; however, he looked from his lap and to Oshus. He couldn't give up on Tetra, he just _couldn't_ ! "Grandpa Oshus," he spoke, "I can do it. I've been on there before, I've been on another ghost ship before _that one_ ," he took a breath of fresh air and concluded with, "and I can fight pretty well."

Understatement of the year.

Ciela perked up, her wings flapping about as she cried, "You've been on a ghost ship before?!"

Link only nodded. "It wasn't bad like this one was, though."

This piqued Oshus' attention, his brows rising up upon hearing that bombshell. He ventured another ghost ship? His mouth formed a thin, straight line. This boy was giving off a familiar aura, a _very_ familiar one.

"...Young Link."

Link sat up straight. "Huh?"

Oshus inquired, "You're not going to give up, are you?"

Link blinked but then shook his head in reply.

"...and you know that there might not be any chances for turning back."

He nodded.

The old man sat back against his seat with a light chuckle. He sat there quietly, but then he looked to Link and said, "I guess I have no choice. I'll help you find the ghost ship," he paused, "or rather, I'll help you get in _touch_ with someone who could possibly take you to it."

Ciela fluttered over and sat upon her grandfather's head. "Who?"

"Linebeck, the seafarer from this morning."

"Linebeck? That crazy cucco...?"

Link's eyebrows raised at the insult that Ciela suddenly said. "Crazy cucco?"

"Now now, Ciela," Oshus said to her, "he's just eccentric in nature about certain things."

The feet of his chair made a soft screech as he rose from his seat. Link followed his movements as well.

"Now, let's see," the old man mused, "he should be over at the port by now. That's on the other side of the island."

"Grandpa," Ciela asked out of curiosity, "can I go with Link?"

"I don't see why not. Let me just grab Link a little something before the two of you venture off." He shuffled by the boy and fairy all of a sudden. Once he was seen leaving the house, they followed pursuit.

"Now while I believe you've fought before, Link," Oshus said over his shoulder to him, "I've noticed how you seem to be missing something crucial."

Ciela asked before Link had a chance to open his mouth, "What would _that_ be?"

"A weapon."

On cue, Link came to the realization about what the fate of his sword could have been. He reached his left hand over his shoulder, expecting it to bump into the sword's handle; however, his stomach flopped upon feeling nothing but air. He lost it during his fall off the boat in order to try swimming back to the surface.

Darn.

"I have a sword in my secret room you can use," Oshus' voice snapped Link back to reality, now standing with him and Ciela in front of a small cave beside the house. "It's the least I could do if you're going after the Ghost Ship."

With the motion of his head, pointing to the cave, Oshus gestured to the fairy and lad to follow him inside. Ciela didn't hesitate to follow her human grandpa, and Link, though bothered he had lost his sword he had with him since the start of his adventure, was the last to enter.

They approached a heavy steel door with a blank sign post beside it. Above the sign post was a simple note which read: "enter the number of palm trees that are on the beach". 

Oshus turned to Ciela, smiling. "Ciela," he asked, "do you know this puzzle on the note?"

She fluttered over to read the note with a hum. "Sneaky! I think I do, but," Ciela spun to Link who was also thinking and asked him, "what about you, Link?"

Hm...the number of palm trees on the beach. Link had a chance to look around the area when he first woke up. He knew the amount of trees was small.

The boy in green suddenly remembered. "Oh, I think..." He approached the sign, lifting his left hand and sticking his index finger out. "I think it's..."

He traced the number seven.

_Click_!

The sound threw Link off-guard for a second but quickly did he compose himself once he realized the door was sliding down into the ground. Oshus went inside before Ciela and Link and returned with a sheet which was wrapped around a long weapon. The head of the sword was poking out as though it was a newborn swaddled in a blanket.

"Here we are," he announced gently. As Link took a curious step towards him, Oshus' eyes softened which the boy was quick to notice.

Ciela tilted in question at the silence between the two.

Oshus looked down to the sword in his arms for a moment, then, he looked ahead to Link. Even though he appeared to be fourteen, fifteen, perhaps...Oshus had a feeling that this boy had quite the experience beyond the past encounter he had with _a_ ghost ship.

In fact...

He stood up a bit more straight.

"Link," he said, "stay safe, for the ghost ship is a deadly vessel that could steal your life force away at any moment. If you want to find your friend, you'll have to _fight_ your way through obstacles that could maim and even _kill_ you. Will you head out there and fight against the ominous creatures that reside upon it?"

All the boy did was nod twice.

"Then take this sword, it's dangerous out there."

A small smile crossed Link's face, and he took that sword with excitement bubbling in his chest. He quickly unwrapped the sword from its cotton hold, freeing it. "Thanks for helping me, Grandpa Oshus," he said, "and helping Tetra."

Even if it might have been hard to see it due to being obscured by his long mustache, Oshus gave the lad a smile in return. "Not a problem, child in green."

Ciela chimed out, now fluttering feet above Link's head in circles, "Come on, it's time to get going to help your friend, Link! There should be a bridge right outside we can cross!"

Before he became dizzy by the excited fairy's repetitive circling, Link's head followed Ciela's departure out of the cave. "O--okay..." He shook his head, gave Oshus one more smile and a bow of his head, and then ran after his new companion.

Once he knew he was alone, Oshus took a breath of fresh air through his nostrils and then exhaled. His eyes were fixed on the spot where Link stood seconds ago.

"That boy certainly looks...reminiscent of something. I wonder if..."

  
  


"Here's the bridge!"

When Link reached the bottom of the steps, he saw Ciela fluttering in place in front of a brief stone bridge. He headed to the fairy without hesitation.

"You know," she spoke up, "I was worried that the bridge would collapse!"

As he and Ciela began to cross, he questioned, blinking up at her, "How come?"

"Well, you see...we've been having quite a lot of earthquakes lately. Heck, we even had one a few minutes before I found you!"

He frowned. "Oh..."

"It would've been okay though!" She fluttered her wings some more. "If the bridge would've collapsed, we would just have to take the long way around to get to town," she explained, bouncing a little.

"Ohh..."

"And there are a lot of monsters down that path."

" _Ohh_..."

"Yeah, those chu things aren't fun..."

' _I've dealt with them before_ ,' Link thought. ' _They're okay, I guess_.'

"And the rats..."

"Oh--"

"Oh, and I think there were some keese and snakes in the dungeons. That's it."

Link turned his head towards her slowly. "...I'm glad the bridge didn't break even _more_ now..."

The newly formed duo reached the end of the bridge and onto a patch of grass. From several feet ahead, there was a small flight of stairs which Link immediately took with Ciela fluttering beside him. His head looked this a'way and that a'way at tiny town known as--

"Mercay, here we are!" Ciela's wings made a jingle as she fluttered at the sight.

Link couldn't help taking in the sight a bit longer. There were, about, five buildings to the left of him, and then a large tent, a house, and the dock to the right. A few kids ran by him (they looked a lot younger than him...), giggling as though they were playing a game of tag or just being silly. One of them had a pet cucco in her arms which clucked away as they ran around a house.

He wondered how his little sister, Aryll, was doing.

"Link? Is something wrong?"

Ciela's little voice snapped him back to reality. He shook his head clear of the sad, homesick thoughts and turned his attention to the fairy beside him. "I was just...reminded of my little sister for a second."

He started walking across the grass with Ciela.

"Your sister?"

"Aryll. She lives with my grandma on Outset Island. I haven't seen her in a few years, but...at least we write in the meantime."

Ciela didn't flutter as often when she heard that. "So you're homesick, huh...? Maybe you should go see her and your grandma when we find your friend," she suggested gently.

He tossed her a meek smile. "I guess I could do that..."

Passing through the large gap between the bar and the local shop, Link and Ciela reached the docks.

"Huh," Link murmured with raised brows, "that's an interesting looking ship."

There, at the docks, sat a medium-sized ship. Its hull had hints of red painted, its prow sharing the same color as well but had gold layered on the top part. The bridge -- Link remembered the name of ship parts thanks to Tetra, but _boy_ was it _difficult_ to remember -- reminded him of a standard shell that was sat on its open end and yet looked like a cabin also.

"Huge wheel," the teen noted, glancing to the large wheel near the end of the ship.

Ciela wasn't as impressed, for she noticed the words "S.S. Linebeck" etched in small letters on its hull. "What a ham, naming it after himself..."

Link's eyes suddenly caught the sight of someone standing at the other end of the dock. The man was in blue and was admiring the ship from where he stood.

He decided to go to him before Ciela had a chance to follow the boy.

"Excuse me sir," he spoke, getting the man's attention, "are you the owner of this ship?"

The man let out a long, wistful sigh. "Its perfect form, the way the colours compliment each other that's so simple, the way the engine is so powerful yet hardly makes a sound." He turned to Link, "Oh, I _wish_ she _was_ mine, young man."

Link blinked. "So...you're _not_ the owner?"

Ciela finally took notice that Link was talking to a stranger and quickly flew over and joined him. "Excuse me, sir," she asked in her squeaky voice, "have you seen the owner of this ship? We've gotta ask him something..."

The man nodded, dropping his admiration for the S.S. Linebeck for _just_ a moment. "Last time I saw him, he made his way to the bar. Might still be in there...I'm not sure. I was...busy," his eyes darted to the ship for a second and then to the duo, "with stuff."

Silence.

"...but yeah, I think he's at the bar. If he's not, try asking the bartender. He's certain to know."

* * *

Link was sure that it would've been okay if he entered the bar. After all, he was searching for someone who was last seen going in there, so...why not.

Just as the teen and his fairy companion were preparing to enter the establishment, an old lady approached him.

"Excuse me, young man," she said.

He blinked. "Yes?"

"...if you see my husband in there, tell him to get his butt back home he's been in there for five hours."

All Link did was nod once while Ciela made a tiny "uh..." from behind him.

With that out of the way, they entered the bar at last.

Link frowned. All he saw was an old man sitting at the counter, having a chat with the plump bartender who also dried out a glass with a white cloth. "Guess he's not here either..."

"All we can do is ask," Ciela told him.

  
  


"Shouldn't you be heading back now? Your wife's gonna wonder why you've been here for so long."

"Eh, she'll be fine," the old man replied with a shrug.

Link took a seat at the counter and politely folded his hands on the cool surface. The two men noticed him and ceased their chattering. "Um, have either of you seen Linebeck? We need to talk to him." He leaned a little bit forward. "It's _really_ important."

At first, the bartender assumed the boy was trying to sneak in, pretend to have been much older, and ask for a big glass of milk; however, when that wasn't the case, he raised a brow. " _Really_ important," he repeated Link's words in question.

" _Really_ important!"

"Well, yes, young man...we've seen the captain a while ago, actually."

Ciela fluttered her wings more. "Do you know where? Please tell us you know!"

The bartender scoffed a laugh. "Sure do! He was here asking about any sort of treasure, and grandpa," he gestured to the old man with the jerk of his head, "here told him about the Temple of the Ocean King probably being a good place to check, so...he's still there, I'm guessing."

The old man sat up straight. "You know, I suppose I should've warned him that the temple's been...wonky, and quite frankly, _dangerous_ as of late."

"...yeah, I suppose you _should've_."

"Hey now, you didn't say a peep about it when I was telling him when you could've _darn well_ told him how dangerous it was to head up there!"

"Yeah...well--"

A loud cough made by two individuals ceased the squabbling in an instant. They looked to Link and Ciela and saw they were impatiently waiting for more information about Linebeck.

The bartender's cheeks turned red from embarrassment and had to cough into a closed fist to repress it. "Well, the thing is: the Temple of the Ocean King has been swarming with...things that could _kill_ a man. If Linebeck is still there, he could be in a bit of a pickle unless he got the picture and ran outta there."

The old man worriedly said to Link, "Don't tell me you're gonna try going in there yourself, you could be the temple's next victim!"

Link felt his fists clench at that, at the mention of death, but...he wasn't afraid, no, definitely not! He's faced that horrible sight before, if that's what he had to do in order to get help from Linebeck so he could find Tetra...

...it would be well worth it.

" _I'm going_."

The way in which Link said that caught Ciela off-guard. His voice was low yet loud and clear enough to still hear. She was certain she never heard a tone like that come from him, even when he spoke to Oshus. Maybe he was like this when he wanted -- or needed -- to be.

"Well," the bartender said with a shrug, "if you're sure you wanna go, you can. I'll tell you where you can find the place. Be sure to, at _least_ , have something to defend yourself with. _Please_."

Ciela smiled, though she's sure the bartender couldn't see. "He's _way_ ahead of you! He knows what he's putting himself into! Trust me."

Link shyly gave her a smile. "Thanks, Ciela."

* * *

_"When you leave the bar, head to the steps and keep walking left. You'll be at the temple before you know it. Good luck, and if he's there, tell Linebeck he still owes me five rupees for the drinks."_

_"Okay. Thanks again!"_

The last words he shared with the bartender echoed in Link's head as the teen continued walking through the small field with Ciela fluttering by his side. He breathed through his nostrils and could still smell the familiar scent of salty sea air. It reminded him of being with Tetra and her crew on their ship, his adventure across the sea alone,

and home.

He found himself glancing off to the side to look at the sea one more time before seeing nothing but a rocky wall which stretched a few more feet ahead. The teen returned his eyes to their normal position.

Ciela gasped all of a sudden. "There it is!"

She had flown ahead and was fluttering frantically in place. Link hurried over to her but then froze when his eyes darted left and saw the large, grey stones which formed a temple, a rather old, worn down one.

The stone ground around it had cracks, both small and large, and Link could hear faint crumbling noises as soon as he stepped upon its rubble.

"It's so old..." he commented.

Ciela got beside Link once more. "Grandpa told me that this temple's been around longer than the people who live here."

"But how?"

"He's not sure."

Link hummed in thought, but then decided it was time to head inside and find Linebeck. He hoped he was still in there, alive and well.

"C'mon, Ciela," Link went back to the secondary issue at hand with a jerk of his head, "let's find Linebeck."

He took a step--

\--and the ground shook, causing Link to freeze from the sudden event. He and Ciela looked at each other.

"Was that one of the earthquakes you were telling me about?"

"Sure was."

As if the ground would shake again by getting closer to the temple, Link cautiously took another step forward.

Nothing.

He tilted his head. "I guess the temple isn't causing it."

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was, though," Ciela replied. "Like the bartender said, the place has been swarming with 'dangerous' things." She looked at the temple. "It didn't used to be like this. Grandpa said it was fairly peaceful, and even had guardians inside if anything were to ever happen in there..."

Something about this felt off.

He sucked some fresh air through his nostrils and his little left hand twitched, preparing to whip out his sword if he must...

And ventured into the gaping mouth of the temple with Ciela in tow.

* * *

The Temple of the Ocean King was cold, cold enough to send a shiver through Link and Ciela upon entering; however, as they ventured further, something _else_ made them shiver even more.

There was not one, not two, but three piles of bones, each one representing what could of been a person at one point until death took them.

"Those two back at the bar meant what they said," Ciela said through a stutter. "What if one of these could be Linebeck?!"

He was hesitant, but Link went ahead and stooped down in front of one of the piles to the left of him. The bones looked worn out, far too old to have been anybody who's died recently. "I don't think so..." he replied, standing up. "These bones look old. Tetra's told me that a body would have to be here for a long time before it gets this way. Linebeck was in the village a _while_ ago, from what the bartender said."

Ciela, with nervousness, joined Link's side and observed the one pile of bones he observed. "I see..." she flew to the right, where the second pile was and saw it was in a similar condition. There was one more set closer to the entrance of the next room, and so she checked on that as well, excepting the same result.

Meanwhile, Link took a better look at their surroundings. There was a flight of stairs on both sides of the area which lead to a platform above where the next room was located. He tilted his head, curious if there could be anything up there--

" _Be...ware..._ " a voice, a deep man's voice, whispered, " _beware...of the dark force that lingers within these walls. They'll take your soul if you'd let them. There is_ **_no way out_ ** _._ " And once more, it spoke, loud enough for its voice to reverberate the walls, " _No way_ **_out_ ** _!!_ "

Ciela let out a short shriek, realizing that the voice was coming from the skeleton pile before her. "B--be quiet! Shut up, you're supposed to be dead!"

Well, _this_ was creepy.

Link rushed to her and stared at the "speaking" skeleton. It was glowing light blue as it continued.

" _I was foolish to venture inside,_ " the departed soul confessed, " _so take my warning:_ **_turn back now before death consumes you._ **"

And with that, the glowing color faded away, leaving Ciela and Link to themselves once more.

The duo glanced at each other.

"We've gotta keep onwards," Link said, "for Tetra."

Ciela nodded. "Yeah, let's."

**_..._ **

Ciela perked up all of a sudden. "Did you hear something?"

He shook his head, confused. "No? What do you hear?"

"I think..."

**_..._ **

She tilted her body towards the next room and struggled to hear the noise again. At first, she didn't hear a peep besides Link's breathing to the left of her; however, she made a mute gasp when she finally could make out what the sound was.

"I hear...whistling?"

"Whistling...?"

  
  


At once, when they entered the new room, the whistling that Ciela claimed to have heard was much more clear. It sounded as though it was forming a song of some sort.

_Ping!_

Link gasped in surprise from the new noise and a strange glow from underneath him. The floor was a shimmering mix of purple and pink instead of the mere stone floor. "What's with this floor...?"

Ciela shrugged -- an action which I'm certain nobody could tell due to her form.

Before either of them could get a word out, the whistling died out and something...made a _new_ sound.

"...hey!"

Ciela gasped yet again. "Someone's here! Sounds like they're up ahead!" She turned her body forward and stared straight ahead with Link doing the same.

Several feet in front of them, there was a man flapping his arms at them from behind a set of spikes, obviously in distress. His dark blue jacket waved with each flap he made as he repeated himself, "Hey, you over there! Thank goodness you're here! Lucky for you that you've found me!"

Link blinked. "Is that who I think it is...?"

Ciela sighed, "You'd be right. It's the man we're looking for... _Linebeck_."

**Author's Note:**

> Did I really end the chapter at the same point like the manga did? Yep! 
> 
> See you next time, and thank you for reading!


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